Radio Boys Cronies eBook

Pat moved fast. He recognized that he had not
been up to his duty so far and he meant to make amends.
With Gus following, the boy’s nerves on edge
with the possibility that the housebreaker would shoot,
the Irishman, who was no coward, reached the house,
entered the basement, flooded the house with light,
alarmed the inmates and in a few minutes had every
avenue of escape guarded, the chauffeur, butler and
gardener coming on the scene, all half dressed and
armed.

What followed needs little telling. Hardly had
the men decided to search the house before the sound
of a rapidly approaching motor horn was heard and
from the quickly checked car two men leaped out, the
constable and a deputy from the town—­and
then Bill Brown! The illuminated house had stopped
their course. The search revealed Thad cowering
in a closet, all the fight gone out of him. Grace
and Skeets were not even awakened; Mrs. Hooper did
not leave her room.

As the constable turned a light on the handcuffed
prisoner he remarked: “That’s the
chap all right. Description fits. He’ll
bring that five hundred all right.”

“A reward; is it?” said the watchman.
“An’ don’t ye fergit who gits it.
Not me, ner you, Constable, but the bye here.”
He laid his hand on Gus’s shoulder. The
constable laughed:

“Oh, you’re slow, Pat. We all know
that. The kid and his pal, that young edition
of Edison by the name of Billy Brown, got the thing
cinched over their radio. We didn’t know
that the description that Willstown sent out fitted
Mr. Hooper’s own nephew.”

And so with relief, mixed with regret for Mr. Hooper’s
sake, Gus and Bill saw a sulky and rebellious Thad
vanish into the night and out of their immediate affairs.

CHAPTER XXIV

GENIUS IS OFTEN ERRATIC

The fourth radio talk on the life, character and accomplishments
of the world’s foremost inventor proved to be
the most interesting of the series. Fairview
had heard of these entertainments and so many people
had asked Bill and Gus if they might attend, the boys
became aware that the modest little living-room of
the Brown home would not hold half of them. They,
therefore, decided to let the radio be heard in the
town hall, if a few citizens would pay the rent for
the evening.

This was readily arranged, but when the suggestion
was made that an admission be charged, the boys refused.
This was their treat all round, even to transferring
their aerial to the hall between its cupola and a
mast at the other end of the roof, put up by the ever
willing Mr. Grier who could not do too much to further
the boys’ interests.

Early in the evening the hall was filled to overflowing,
and ushers were appointed to seat the crowd.
Naturally there was much chattering and scraping of
feet until suddenly a strain of music, an orchestral
selection, began to come out of the horn and there
was instant quiet. After its conclusion came
the voice: